Product Description

The heroes of the Marvel universe come to life in Marvel Heroes: The Board Game! Thwarting robberies, solving mysteries, and rescuing citizens from danger are all in a day's work for members of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and the Marvel Knights... unless there's a super villain involved!

In Marvel Heroes, 2-4 players each take on the role of a popular super-team straight from the pages of Marvel comics, including such well-known heroes as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, and the Fantastic Four. Simultaneously, they take the role of an evil Mastermind, whether it's the Kingpin of Crime, Dr. Doom, the Red Skull, or the mutant terrorist Magneto. They will fight crime and progress their story as super heroes, and work to complete their villainous plans as Masterminds, all competing to be the most successful at both tasks.

The action unfolds in New York City, on an impressively detailed and accurate map depicting Manhattan Island as well as Brooklyn and Queens. Players will respond to dangerous and criminal events, represented by Headlines, that crop up across the city, sending members of their super hero team to rescue citizens, fight crime, and battle super villains. Meanwhile, the dastardly Masterminds work to their own purposes -- and especially to defeat their Nemesis super-team!

Product Reviews

Marvel Heroes (Fantasy Flight Games, 2006 – Marco Maggi and Francesco Nepitello) easily topped my “Most anticipated games in 2006” list at
the end of 2005. As the year went on, I was a bit concerned that the
game would make the same list the following year, but it was
fortunately released near the end of 2006. I’ve played some enjoyable
superhero games, but I’ve been long searching for a game that truly
brings to life the comic books. The designers had designed the truly
great War of the Ring, so I had high hopes – especially after seeing
pictures of the components; and opening the box was such a rush that I
was eager to get the game to the table right away. I was prepared for
the definitive superhero experience.

And while Marvel Heroes has a few flaws (some downtime and fairly
complicated rules), I will say that it brings a comic book to life in
a way that no other game I’ve played ever has. It’s extremely fun to
play in an immersive fashion; and while it requires a good length of
time to play, it’s the sort of game that players will recall in the
form of a story rather than mechanics. It’s expandable, contains a
clever combat system, and has terrific artwork and components.
Perhaps a bit complicated for younger children, teenagers and adults
will find that Marvel comics have finally come to life on the game board.

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: The most striking part to the game is of course the
twenty fully colored plastic figures included. The models, while
certainly done on a mass scale, look very good; and some of them (the
Thing in particular) are strikingly done. The game has a ton of other
components, including cards, tokens, and dice – all of them well
designed – although they do require a bit of setup time when playing
the game. The game comes in a beautifully illustrated box with a
plastic insert that holds the plastic figures firmly in place. I
found that they were TOO firmly held and finally placed everything for
each of the four teams in their own separate bag, to help facilitate
setup. All the cards have terrific artwork on them – some of the best
comic book artwork I’ve ever seen, and all of this helps evoke the
game’s immersive theme. Some have complained about the plain looking
board, but I found it functional and helpful; and if it’s slightly
plain at all (the map of Manhattan), it’s only because a variety of
colorful pieces will be placed on it - the contrast is certainly
striking. As usual, Fantasy Flight gives us a game chock full o’
pieces, and you’ll most likely need a pile of plastic bags to keep
everything easily stored.

2.) Rules: The rulebook includes fifteen full color pages that are
crammed with lots of rules, illustrations, and examples. I think
they’re fairly well formatted, yet I still had to read them thoroughly
and with a demo game set up in front of me to understand them fully.
Once I played the game, things made sense, but some features – such as
fighting and super villains – caused me to refer to the rulebook
several times during the game. I fear that a few kids may buy the
game because of its cool theme and be overwhelmed by the rules – an
example first turn may have been nice. The game isn’t too difficult
to explain, as long as one part is done at a time – otherwise it will
simply overwhelm anyone playing it. I’ve seen some reviews that
debunk the game simply on account of the rules, but they aren’t much
different from the complexity of War of the Ring or similar games.

3.) Theme: Honestly, though, if you aren’t a fan of comic books, or
at least enjoy the idea of superheroes, then stay away. Marvel Heroes
is a great game simply because of the fact that the game really does
emulate the comic book experience. When I’m using the Incredible
Hulk, it feels completely different than when I bring in the Human
Torch and Mr. Fantastic. Many things are abstracted down to make the
gameplay flow smoother, but everything – especially the fights – feel
as if they are taking place panel by panel in an exciting comic book.
Every major Marvel comic book event seems to have taken place in or
around New York – and this has a good thematic feel to the game.
Comic book readers will most likely LOVE this game, as will gamers who
enjoy comics on the side.

4.) Scenarios: The game comes with a basic “Scenario” card in play,
which simply requires players to reach fifteen victory points to win
the game. However, nine other scenarios are included, which can
possibly drastically change the game, or only change a few things
about it. Many of the great Marvel storylines, such as Maximum
Carnage, are included on these cards – and this adds a good bit of
replayability to the game, as the same events can happen in each game
with slightly different results. Headline cards are used within each
game to show different crimes or events in the different districts;
and again, this simply adds to the theme of the game.

5.) Teams: Four teams are included with the game – each going to one
player. The teams are the Avengers (Captain America, The Hulk, Iron
Man, and Thor), the Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Mr.
Fantastic, and the Thing), the Marvel Knights (Daredevil, Doctor
Strange, Elektra, and Spiderman), and the X-men (Cyclops, Jean Grey,
Storm, and Wolverine). These are certainly some of the most popular
heroes of the Marvel universe, and even non-comic fans will most
likely recognize all of them. One of the major features of Marvel
Heroes is that the teams are really quite different, yet (as far as I
can tell) remarkably balanced. Each character has a KO level (number
of wounds they can take), a Level (how easy it is to get them into
play), troubleshooting ratings in “Danger”, “Crime”, and “Mystery”,
areas of crime that they are specialized in, special abilities that
they can use in combat or as a supporting character, and different
abilities in fighting. A lot of information is included on each
character’s card, and using them effectively together allows a team to
do extremely well. For example, the Avengers have some of the most
powerful characters (Hulk and Thor) but must be careful how they use
them, as they are more difficult to get into play. The Marvel
Knights, on the other hand, are easy to get onto the board, but have
weaker characters that must use their wits to survive rather than
brute strength. There is no team that I prefer, at least in terms of
gameplay (in the comics – the Fantastic Four rock!), and I’d gladly
play any of them. This gives the game more replayability, as it’s fun
to try it out with a different team each time.

6.) Villains: What would a superhero game be without super villains!
Each team has an archenemy, which is played by one of the other
players. The enemies are Magneto, Kingpin, Red Skull, and Dr. Doom.
This gives the game an unusual twist, as players play both the
villainous side (to stop their opponents), and a team of heroes. The
super villains are also diverse, having specialties and powers – Dr.
Doom is extremely powerful in his own right, while Red Skull calls on
the power of henchmen to help him.

7.) Sidekicks and Henchmen: The game concentrates mostly on the
sixteen heroes and four villains, but many of the smaller heroes and
evil folk are included in the game via cards. Players can get
“allies” to join their team, such as Hawkeye, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and
May Parker. A plethora of henchmen are included, from Rhino and Toad
to Mysterio and Omega Red. Allies add special abilities to the heroes
– rather than making an actual appearance, but this is explained away
in the theme and helps streamline the game. Henchmen are more
involved, as they tend to show up and be annoying whenever a hero
attempts to complete a mission. Players try to play henchmen and
special abilities to stop others; and if they get lucky, use their
master villain themselves. All of this means that each game has a
distinct feel, especially as some villains who win battles may escape
and show up again – that annoying Juggernaut caused mass havoc in my
last game. A reoccurring villain helps add a bit of story to the game
and, again, adds variety.

8.) Players: The game handles from two to four players; and while it
offers a satisfactory game for two, the length is of such that I feel
like it’s best with four players. Be warned, however, that a
four-player game is fairly long (upwards of four hours), and sometimes
a player has little to do - especially if they are neither the hero
nor villain in a challenge. Still, the game has a storybook quality
that will keep most people interesting, and fights have a definite
conclusion – meaning that they will not last forever.

9.) Fighting: The combat system is a bit complicated for me to
explain here, but suffice it to say that I find it one of the more
enjoyable features of the game. Each hero has three special powers,
with a different color and special abilities. For example, Iron Man
has these three abilities:
- Repulsor Blast: Red, Attack 4, Defense 3, Outwit 1
- Uni-Beam: Orange, Attack 2, Defense 4, Outwit 2
- Flight: Yellow, Attack 2, Defense 3, Outwit 3
At the beginning of combat, players secretly choose one of their three
colors to use that round. The player with initiative (which is a BIG
deal) attacks first, rolling dice equal to their attack value against
the defense value of their opponent. If they roll more hits, they
take away one hit point from the opponent. Otherwise, the opponent
uses their attack value against the defense value. If both players
are still standing, they roll their outwit values against each other,
and the player with the lower result takes one hit. This ensures at
least one hit per round and keeps combat quick and entertaining.
Special abilities of henchmen and allies are also used, as are those
of possible supporting heroes. Each special ability of a hero is
interesting, and the right one to use often depends on the villains
they are fighting. Combat can be drug out if players hem and haw when
making decisions, but if played correctly is a quick and fun thing.

10.) Strategy: Other than combat, the game offers a lot of strategic
options for players each turn. Players have only so many actions they
can take, and sending a strong hero to take care of a crime can use up
a lot of them; so they have to also resort to using the media and
special abilities to get ahead of the opponents. I certainly think
that a player who has played before has a rather large jump on their
opponents, as an error in the first round could possibly put someone
behind, struggling to recover for the remainder of the game. For this
reason, the super villains are useful, as they allow a player to
hinder those in the lead. Each team must be played differently, and
some are possibly easier than others – like the X-men and Fantastic
Four. While a great deal of luck is in the game – mostly as a result
of rolling the dice, the player who best uses their special abilities
will likely win – and I found that this aspect of the game is quite
enjoyable.

11.) Fun Factor: There a lot of aspects to the game that I haven’t
covered, such as how headline cards work, or how a player is
attempting to complete their villain’s master plan, or how one player
can be the arch nemesis, etc. Suffice it to say that there is a LOT
of game included in the box, and it’s quite a bit of fun to play. I
will say this with the caveat that much of the fun comes from the
strategy; but those who do not enjoy the theme of superheroes will
probably find themselves floundering, as enjoyment of the theme plays
a large role in enjoyment of the game.

12.) Expansions: Anyone who knows me realizes that I love expansions,
how they can add spice and enjoyment to a game. Marvel Heroes is
easily set up for more expansions in the future – from adding new
superhero teams to a new map, to more villains and allies, to new
events and headlines. I think that there’s plenty of variety in the
game as it is, but I wouldn’t mind more.

13.) Comparisons: There aren’t many other superhero board games
available on the market (not counting the collectible card games), and
this is really the only one that totally evokes the theme of the comic
book. I enjoy Heroes Incorporated, and it possibly is a better,
quicker game; but it simply doesn’t have the soul of Marvel Heroes.
Of course, it’s quicker and easier to play, but sometimes I’m looking
for the story, not the mechanics.

All in all, I’ll give Marvel Heroes a good recommendation. Because of
its length and higher complexity, it’s not a game I want to play all
the time; but the comic theme is tremendous, and each game is a
wonderful experience. Comic book fans who are also gamers shouldn’t
hesitate – buy the game now! Those who remotely enjoy the genre will
find the mechanics intuitive and fun, while those who think the whole
subject is geeky should stay away. I’ve always wondered if one could
condense the attack of the Brood into a board game? Marvel Heroes has
done it.

An accurate capture of the chaotic fun of the Marvel Universe with a steep learning curve and lots of tokens.

December 28, 2006

I'm assuming that you're a Marvel Comics fan already if you want to play this game. The
question is do you have friends who are "into" Marvel Comics enough to put up with the
learning curve on this game?

It's amazing how much detail went into translating a Marvel Comics adventure into a board
game. They did an outstanding job of really making it feel like Marvel. However, if you're
playing with novices, make sure they know that they're really going to be playing a card
game for the most part. People expecting a board game... well, their heads are going to
explode! And they just keep exploding as you introduce the feature of this token and that
token and that other token, and those cards which are used to purchase these cards, etc.
etc. There is SO much here, that you can easily overwhelm your friends, and they'll end up
just going through the motions, hoping desperately for the game to end. The game can be
played under many different scenarios, and one is clearly marked in the instructions as the
basic, beginner's scenario that you should play first. However, I believe you should also play
a quick couple of rounds without Mastermind villains and without the arch-nemesis token to
make it much easier for everyone to grasp what's going on, without getting hit with
everything all at once. If you try to incorporate all the game's aspects the first time you play,
be prepared for it to take 4 hours because of confusion on the part of everyone who hasn't
read the instructions.

When players ARE up to speed, this game is surprisingly in-depth. Each player gets to control
an entire team of four heroes (the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men, or the Marvel
Knights). Each team is also matched up with a mastermind villain. You get to control the
mastermind villain of the player's team to your right. You can only score points with your
heroes. When it's time for you to play the mastermind villain, you're not scoring points, but
you can seriously hurt another team's chances of gaining points, or even take points away
from them if you succeed in the third and final stage of the villain's master plan. At the
beginning of the game, you draw a scenario card which outlines any special rule modifications
for that game, and outlines what is necessary to win.

Each player has a hand of "Resource" cards representing heroes and helpful events, as well
as "Villain" cards representing lead villains, agents and backup effects. When it's your turn
you can use the hero cards to help your "ready" hero during combat (but there's a process to
put that card into play, which came earlier in the round). When it's not your turn, you can
put lead villain cards into play against the other teams.

Your team sets about the business of solving "headlines" which are worth different amounts
of points and have varying degrees of difficulty. You move the plastic figure representing
your "ready" hero (and possibly a "supporting" hero) to the headline and roll the number of
dice indicated by the threat level to see how much "trouble" your hero is getting himself into.
Hopefully, you were able to match up your heroes' skills with different headlines' threat
types, because that helps you reduce the "trouble" level. If you can get it down to zero, then
you solve the headline and gain those points without combat. If not, then the other players
have those remaining "trouble points" to put some villain cards into play. You never know
what the other players might be able to whip up. One of them might be sitting on the Ultron
card and might suddenly put him into play against a poor, unsuspecting Elektra. Another
player might want to give up one of his Villain cards too, to further boost Ultron's skills (each
Villain card lists a backup effect that can support the villain card in play). Elektra, however,
might also have some help in the form of a plastic figure representing one of your "support"
heroes nearby, or she might also have put a Resource card into play earlier (like the Black
Widow card) to boost a specific skill in a fight.

During certain headlines, your team's mastermind villain (controlled by the player to your
left) has a chance to get involved and try to advance their master plan, which can do serious
damage to your team and temporarily incapacitate your "ready" hero.

That's it for the most part. There are LOTS of cardboard tokens to move around the board
and to place onto the cards in play. These are what really overwhelm the people you're
trying to teach the game to. The 8 red dice are unique and very "Marvel." They have hit
icons and exclamation points on them. You might roll 5 or so at a time, so you have to make
sure you have a place to roll them where you won't accidentally wipe out another player's
card setup or those very important tokens which indicate what round you're on and how
many points each player has. It's a nightmare when those go flying!

Be sure to read all the headlines out loud or the game is considerably less fun. It's all part of
the fun to tell the other players that there's a "Mystery" headline in central Manhattan
involving a disappearing building, and that you're sending Iron Man to investigate.

Other Resources for Marvel Heroes:

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